1994 Legislative Session: 3rd Session, 35th Parliament
HANSARD
The following electronic version is for informational purposes only.
The printed version remains the official version.
(Hansard)
THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 1994
Morning Sitting
Volume 13, Number 22
[ Page 9789 ]
The House met at 10:05 a.m.
Prayers.
Hon. G. Clark: I call continued debate on the throne speech.
(continued)
On the main motion.
J. Dalton: Here we are, hopefully on the last day of this marathon saga on the throne speech. It seems like a lifetime ago that we heard the Lieutenant-Governor's comments. But we will carry on.
I wish to make some observations about comments the hon. Premier made in response to the throne speech. When the Premier was speaking the other day, I don't think he realized that he was addressing the opposition's amendment to the throne speech, and some of the Premier's comments that appear in Hansard will probably indicate that. In his opening remarks the Premier referred to comments that the Lieutenant-Governor read from the Speech from the Throne. He said: "Times change, and we change with them." Of course, the Premier was referring to the government allegedly having changed with the times.
I'm going to cite some examples of where I feel, as does the opposition, that very little change was reflected in this throne speech. Certainly nothing has changed from the perspective of the people of this province. They don't see any evidence of change in the budget or in the policies this government is putting forward. So I don't think it is fair of the Premier to tell the people that times have changed, because nothing has changed. In fact, we have perhaps gone into reverse and things are getting worse, not better.
Let me cite some provincewide examples and some -- I'll be a bit selfish -- that apply to my own neighbourhood.
An Hon. Member: Where's that?
J. Dalton: An hon. member asks where my neighbourhood is. I might even be so brash as to talk about Westview and about the Lions Gate Bridge -- however, later, hon. members. I understand that the backlog at Westview grows by the minute, so if I don't speak about it soon, the gridlock will stretch right across the North Shore, and people won't be able to drive off the Horseshoe Bay ferry.
Let's talk for a few moments about school problems and issues that indicate nothing has changed. Last night and this morning on CBC Radio's "Early Edition" -- which the Speaker himself was on yesterday morning -- I heard some comments from the member for Coquitlam about a small gathering last night in a school gymnasium -- 800-plus people expressing concerns, and rightly so, about the....
The Speaker: Order, please. The hon. member for Fort Langley-Aldergrove rises on a point of order.
G. Farrell-Collins: I hate to interrupt my own member, but I'm sitting three seats away and can't hear what he's saying because of the noise in the back. I ask the Speaker if he could please bring it to order.
The Speaker: The hon. member for Okanagan West, also on a point of order.
C. Serwa: The point of order, I think, is that if the hon. member who is speaking was saying something, then we would all pay attention.
The Speaker: The hon. member's point of order did not qualify as such.
However, the hon. member for Fort Langley-Aldergrove makes a very good point, hon. members. I ask that members respect the right of the member who is speaking to do so without unfair interjections. Would the hon. member please proceed.
J. Dalton: I wasn't aware that Erskine May had addressed such points of order. However, I don't think it really matters whether the hon. members are interested in the throne speech and our comments, or not. The people of this province, I believe, are concerned.
So let me get back to my first theme, where things have not changed but in fact are getting worse: the overcrowding in our schools, and the Coquitlam audience of 800-plus people last night. I see the member who was on the radio this morning is here now to reinforce my observations, I'm sure. Those people -- and rightly so -- are demonstrating through public meetings. It's very unusual to get 800 or more people out for anything these days, except when it involves CORE, lack of direction in education policy or anything else this government touches and turns into dust.
So what are those people concerned about? They are concerned about the growing population in their communities -- in Surrey, central Okanagan and other examples of the same. As we were informed this morning, at one school site there are 12 portables on the school grounds. The moderator of the radio program said that they can't be doing much else on those school grounds, because there's no room.
I'm hoping that this government is listening to people's concerns when they meet in such numbers. I'm hoping that the government listened two weeks ago when 15,000 or more people gathered outside the Legislature to express their concerns. When we hear the Premier talking about change and this government changing with the times, it has a very hollow ring to it.
Let me also comment briefly about another education issue that is before us and before the public: provincewide bargaining. This government has indicated there may be a change, but they have no game plan indicated. Provincewide bargaining is a very serious public topic, not just outside the lower mainland but certainly more so than elsewhere. I was looking through clippings of interior newspapers the other morning, and probably 50 percent of the articles dealt with provincewide bargaining. Teachers, trustees, parents and community leaders all expressed concern about what the government has in mind with regard to this issue. We don't have any evidence yet as to what the game plan may be. Addressing the question of employer-employee relations in the K-to-12 sector is, perhaps, long overdue. But this government has only thrown another wrench into the works. It has not given us any indication of where this issue may be taking us. It's causing concern and an unsettling atmosphere. Again, it's not an indication of change in any positive sense; it's an indication that this government doesn't truly know what it's up to.
On another point, the B.C. schoolteachers' association is obviously having some problem reacting to the issue of
[ Page 9790 ]
provincewide bargaining. Just recently it lost two more districts from its original number of 75. Twelve school districts have now left the association. I would suggest that they are leaving because they're dissatisfied with the erosion of local autonomy and with the Minister of Education's lack of commitment to centralized management -- or perhaps the lack of it. They're dissatisfied because they do not know what the mandate of the employers' council will be with regard to labour relations issues in the K-to-12 sector.
[10:15]
Quite frankly, the times ahead with regard to education management and policy are going to be very rough indeed, because this government has indicated that it's going to implement a very significant shift in labour relations. Yet no one knows -- and the evidence is there -- where that shift is going to take us. It is not fair to the schoolchildren of this province or to the taxpayers, the parents and the trustees that this unsettling atmosphere is being allowed to continue. So I hope we're going to hear very soon from the Minister of Education on this issue. And if we don't hear soon, we're going to have many more public gatherings such as the one last night in Coquitlam. They won't just be squawking about overcrowded schools; they're going to be squawking about the entire K-to-12 system and where it's headed.
Another example in my community on the North Shore comes to mind. Recently another public meeting was held to deal with the creation of an independent school. Over 100 parents were at that meeting, and they weren't there just for a social exercise. They were there because this entire problem of K-to-12 management and where it's headed is becoming more and more of an issue. So I hope this government will take the words of the Premier to heart and say: "Great, we need some change, but let's make it positive; let's have some substance, not just words."
I indicated a few moments ago that I might even have the audacity to speak on some local North Shore issues, and I'm going to do so. These will reinforce my argument that times have not changed; they are getting worse. If anyone has recently had the pleasure of trying to drive through the Westview intersection, they will know of what I speak.
The member for North Vancouver-Lonsdale has been quick to grab microphones and stand on the floor of this House and tell us that Westview is going to proceed forthwith, if not sooner. There's no evidence of it in the budget, and there's certainly no indication in the throne speech or elsewhere that these important transportation issues are being addressed. In the meantime Westview goes from bad to worse. I don't say that just because I'm annoyed when I have to line up at the traffic light for ten minutes or take my life into my hands if I want to get into the shopping centre. I am saying so because it is not only a traffic problem, but a traffic hazard. There are going to be more and more accidents at that intersection. It's causing economic loss to the immediate area. It's causing untold annoyance to the residents of the North Shore. It is just as important to the people trying to get across the North Shore from the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal as it is to those trying to head west. They cannot do so because of that bottleneck. I'm inviting the member for North Vancouver-Lonsdale and his government to stop talking and give us some action. I would be happy to join that member at the intersection with shovel in hand and get the thing started. It shouldn't be a partisan issue, even though he may care to make it one. It is an issue that has to be addressed.
While we're on North Shore and lower mainland transportation issues, it's fair that I also comment on the Lions Gate Bridge. The previous Highways minister gave us a five-year time line to get that project underway and completed. We're one year into that five-year time frame, and what do we have? We have some interesting public discussion, although it's not terribly focused. We have no evidence of even a shortlist of options that may be presented so that the public can truly have some input into the crossing issue on the Lions Gate. Whether that be a new bridge, a rehab bridge or a tunnel -- or whether we fill in the inlet with old cars or who cares what -- the very important issue itself is not being properly handled by this government.
What are we facing on that issue? We are facing a very unsettled public. To give you a particular example, my riding held a transportation forum at the end of January on this and other North Shore issues. Over 150 people attended that forum during the day. They were all there because they wanted information that this government was not providing. There is no game plan. They were very happy that the opposition was prepared to provide a public forum. My colleague from North Vancouver-Seymour just recently held a similar forum. Again the public was grateful -- and this may be perceived as a partisan statement, but so be it -- that someone was out there addressing these concerns. But where's the government? We have the member for North Vancouver-Lonsdale giving his announcements about the Winter Games proposal and that the Westview and Lions Gate Bridge projects will go forward. Yet we have no specific evidence that that is so. I invite this government to indeed change in that sense and get on with it.
I have a few other comments about the so-called change that we see in this throne speech and in the budget. B.C. 21 is applauded long and loud by this government for all the marvellous things it's going to do, such as the Island Highway. Of course, we know that the Island Highway is just a giveaway to the unions of this province. It's fair to equate B.C. 21 to the old Socred BS fund; there's really no difference. They're taking public debt and hiding it from public scrutiny. We're going to have to watch B.C. 21 and how it operates very closely.
What else has changed, or not changed? One thing that has changed -- certainly negatively and not positively -- is the debt. What do we see in the budget for the upcoming year? The debt has increased to $27.4 billion. Is that the sort of change the Premier is so proud of? This is only the debt that is on the books. When you take in all the Crown corporations and agencies, no one knows what the true public debt is. We have a $27.4 billion debt and the Premier is so proud to talk of change.
What else has changed? Patronage certainly hasn't changed. It's gone up as well; it's just like the debt. We have people like Gerry Scott drifting around in ministries, who are probably unqualified to do the jobs that they are allegedly hired to do. They are clearly NDP party hacks -- I hate to use the term, but I can use it in this House -- who were thrown into positions that they have no business being in. Double-dipping, triple-dipping -- how many other dippings do you wish to speak of? I'm hoping this government will change its attitude towards its friends and neighbours. Maybe it has run out of friends and neighbours. It will be importing them, no doubt, from Ontario and other places.
Speaking of change, when you look through the estimates, some of the ministries have changed, as far as their budgets are concerned. That's not a very happy change for the taxpayer. For example, I cite the ministries of Women's Equality, Social Services, and Employment and Investment. All of those budgets are up significantly. That's not the sort of change that the taxpayer of this province is looking
[ Page 9791 ]
forward to. That is not change for the better, but for the worse.
The Premier has talked publicly -- although not the other day in his reply -- about the increases in hydro rates, licence fees and other so-called fees. The Premier is proud to tell us that taxes aren't up, and there's no change in the tax profile, yet we're all being buried by hydro increases and other so-called user fees. These are taxes. It doesn't matter which pocket this Premier and his government dips into, there's only one taxpayer at the end of the day. Let's not use the euphemism of user fees; that's a phony description for taxes. We're all being almost literally buried alive by the imposition of these fees and other tax increases perpetrated by this government.
That's not a change for the better; that's a change for the worse. It's not honest. The Premier and this government are not being upfront with the people of British Columbia about the alleged change that is taking place. If there is any change, it is for the worse. I think this government senses it -- in fact, I know it senses it. Sooner or later, even though we have to suffer for a little while longer, the people of this province will have the opportunity to publicly comment on the so-called change that the Premier was so quick to tell us about. Of course, that comment will come through the next general election, and then we can all stand and be counted. In the meantime, times have not changed in the positive sense that the Premier would tell us. Times have gotten worse, and I fear they will get worse still as we proceed through this session and in the months ahead.
The Speaker: I recognize the hon. member for Burnaby-Willingdon. [Applause.]
J. Sawicki: Thank you, hon. Speaker and hon. colleagues.
Although it's been almost two and a half years since I entered this chamber, I now rise for the first time to speak on behalf of my constituents, the people of Burnaby-Willingdon. This is also the first opportunity that I have had in debate to publicly thank my constituents for their support, and I want to say that never have I appreciated it so much as during this past month. I hope I will be able to continue to do justice to the trust they put in me when they sent me here to represent them.
There are those who would shake their heads in cynical disbelief at hearing a politician speak of trust. These are indeed difficult and challenging times to be a politician. But let us not forget that the times are a good deal more difficult for many of the people we are elected to serve and that they have sent us here to solve their problems, because that is how our system of parliamentary democracy is supposed to work. Although those problems are often incredibly complex, and although we are not miracle workers -- even though sometimes we would like to appear so -- we are here to do the best we can with what we have.
As His Honour the Lieutenant-Governor made clear in the Speech from the Throne, we live in a time of profound change. Being only human, many of us find constant change to be very unsettling. The continual disruption of our world as we have become accustomed to it can make us feel very uncomfortable and often very angry. But there are those in our society whose lives have never been easy or comfortable. I think of women denied economic opportunity because of systemic gender discrimination; first nations people who have long been denied due process; ethnic minorities; and people with disabilities, including young people with learning disabilities. For these and many other British Columbians, change is not a threat; it is their only hope for a better life -- change that brings equal treatment and fairness for everyone.
[10:30]
This government can be very proud of the many changes it has brought to ordinary British Columbians -- changes that were long overdue. Our province is now poised to build a working balance between the environment and the economy. We have stated a commitment to lifelong education, including the re-education of working men and women who find themselves dislocated by economic and social change. We have a new direction that will allow for a more efficient and effective delivery of the health care system on which so many British Columbians depend. We have made it possible to build a stronger British Columbia by putting in order the government's fiscal affairs.
The accomplishments of this government are reflected in the many good things happening in my constituency of Burnaby-Willingdon. I would like to take a few moments to talk about my community and about some of those changes. First let me say that the community I have the honour to represent is a relatively small corner of British Columbia. I can cross it by car in 15 minutes, unlike the members for Nelson-Creston or Bulkley Valley-Stikine, who are responsible for vast tracts of very difficult terrain.
Although Burnaby-Willingdon is small, it is as diverse as any community in British Columbia. Its residents live in accommodations ranging from tiny basement suites to multistorey highrises and from small bungalows built by Burnaby's pioneers several decades ago to spacious multimillion-dollar residences. It is home to some of the largest private sector employers in British Columbia, including B.C. Tel and B.C. Cellular. The B.C. Automobile Association and the United Way have recently built new headquarters in my constituency. It's also a thriving commercial centre, with the Metrotown shopping centre and hundreds of small businesses along Kingsway and the other arterials. Burnaby was once regarded as a bedroom community, with our citizens going out to work in the mills in New Westminster or in the offices in downtown Vancouver. But today we have our own thriving light-industry zones, a growing core of high-tech enterprises and a very well-developed institutional base.
Hon. Speaker, I am very fortunate to have the B.C. Institute of Technology in my constituency. It's a provincial institute to be sure, but one which has become a very active partner in the affairs of my community. BCIT is poised to be the driving engine in the government's determination to grow a more skilled and educated workforce right here at home -- a workforce that will see British Columbians surging ahead in a wave of economic and technological change. I have been very pleased to work towards four-year degree-granting status for BCIT, so it can do the very important job that we need it to do even better. I hope the minister is preparing to make just such an announcement in the not too distant future.
Another important educational institute that is headquartered in Burnaby-Willingdon is the Open Learning Agency, which is steadily expanding its horizons all over the world. Just recently I had an opportunity to meet with the deputy minister of education and the director of distance education from Poland. They came to British Columbia specifically to expand their partnership with OLA. My Polish language is functional at best, but it did serve me well enough to come away from that meeting feeling very proud of the innovative distance education programs that we offer through our Open Learning Agency.
My riding also contains a key element of British Columbia's justice system: the Burnaby Youth Custody Centre.
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We also have one of the province's oldest custodial facilities, Oakalla, which is now being reborn as Oaklands, a showplace containing a mixed market, plus 20 percent non-market housing, all in a very beautiful natural setting adjacent to Deer Lake. I have long been associated with the Oakalla redevelopment project. Now as the MLA for the area, I am continuing to monitor its progress to ensure that the housing development does not further compromise the natural environment of Deer Lake and the adjacent park. It's not only in the rural areas of the province that we face the challenge of the environment versus development; we in urban communities have a responsibility to be equally diligent.
I could go on at even greater length about the qualities that make Burnaby-Willingdon a very special place to live. I haven't expanded on the important role that Burnaby Hospital plays in the delivery of health care, or on the several long-term care homes in my riding that are vital to the way our society responds to its most senior members.
But I would be remiss in talking about my riding if I did not also mention the role that culture plays in the quality of life in my community. Here I want to acknowledge the work of my three colleagues from Burnaby: the MLAs for Burnaby-Edmonds, Burnaby North and Port Moody-Burnaby Mountain. We are all very proud of two important projects, one just finishing and one just beginning -- both with the assistance of grants from this government. While it belongs to the whole of Burnaby -- and, indeed, the region -- Burnaby-Willingdon is the actual physical home of the now-famous 1917 Parker Carousel. If anyone in this room hasn't ridden it yet, you really have to go down and do so. If you have children, take them along, but even if you don't have children, do it yourself. I want to commend the 2,000 volunteers who, with the help of the corporate sector, organized labour, the city of Burnaby and this provincial government, completely restored the old carousel for our province's children and for the child in all of us, giving us an experience that would otherwise have been lost forever. I also want to commend my predecessor, the late Elwood Veitch, who worked very hard to obtain the initial commitment of provincial funding for this very worthwhile project.
The second cultural project, on which construction is now just beginning, is the Burnaby Arts Centre, an exciting regional facility that will cater to the whole spectrum of the arts, both professional and amateur. I am the lucky MLA to have it located in my constituency. I know my three Burnaby colleagues, who have worked equally hard on this, would like to join me in thanking this government for its contribution to the arts centre campaign. We know that getting money from the provincial treasury for cultural projects in these times meant squeezing a very hard stone for some very limited drops of water.
But what makes Burnaby-Willingdon most unique, in my mind, is something that becomes apparent when you fly over my riding. Although you are flying over a modern, urban community with highrises, freeways and shopping centres, the overwhelming impression is one of green space. I believe it's tremendously important to preserve open spaces and natural fish and wildlife habitat within urban communities. I think most of my constituents agree. Some would go so far as to say it is the only hope our increasingly urbanized society has to maintain any spiritual relationship with or respect for the natural system and its other inhabitants. I am currently working with students and faculty of the BCIT fish, wildlife and recreation program. With the support of the GVRD and city of Burnaby, they are helping to restore the Burnaby Lake system, which includes Deer Lake and several tributaries in my constituency. As the Minister of Environment, Lands and Parks is aware, I strongly believe that this province has an important leadership role to play in this very worthwhile endeavour.
While I therefore commend our government for the many good changes it has made, or is on the road to making, many more things need to be done. I listened carefully to the throne speech to see how the government's intentions might affect people in my constituency. The first challenge that His Honour identified was the pressure being put on our urban communities by record population growth. Coming from the urban heart of British Columbia, I can assure the government that in Burnaby-Willingdon that challenge is no abstract consideration. The livability of our communities is at stake. Pollution, congestion, traffic, schools full to bursting and pressures on neighbourhoods to increase housing density are all real and pressing concerns for my constituents. In the face of the federal government's abdication of its responsibility, this government's commitment to provide affordable housing through a unique B.C. housing policy is a very welcome response to an urgent need.
The emphasis in the throne speech on skills training and job creation through B.C. 21 is also good news for my constituents, as is the intention to make new public sector investments in infrastructure. From my days on Burnaby council and on the GVRD's water and waste committee, I know we have an awful lot of 50-year-old water and sewer pipes that desperately need replacing. By all means, we must spend the taxpayers' money wisely. But what better use of the public's dollars is there than to invest in the physical plants within our communities -- in roads, schools and sewer and water systems?
This government is positioning British Columbia for growth in the 1990s and beyond. That growth needs to be carefully planned if it's going to meet the needs of the tens of thousands of British Columbians who want an opportunity for a better life for themselves and their families.
But I think all hon. members will agree that there are also negative effects from rapid growth. My constituents are becoming increasingly concerned about what they feel is an increase in violence, drugs and gangs. Our government must take whatever steps are necessary, as His Honour's speech foreshadowed, to prevent crime and preserve the peace and security of our communities. I want to commend the Attorney General, who has met with me several times on these issues, for the measures he has already taken in this regard; programs like the gang line are very welcome to the people of Burnaby-Willingdon. I'm really looking forward to some further leadership from the Attorney General in bringing in additional diversion and remedial programs.
So I believe the Speech from the Throne does set a clear direction for British Columbia and shows us where the government intends to focus its efforts to best serve the people of our province. Granted, not every concern was addressed. I know that many in my riding would like to have learned more about the government's plans for health care, education, services to seniors and programs to fight racism and discrimination. But I'm sure we can look forward to hearing more about these during debate on the estimates and legislation forthcoming in the current session.
[10:45]
I do want to address one more aspect of the throne speech, however, in the time I have remaining. If one issue brought me into elected politics, it is the issue of how we manage the precious land and water resources with which we are so amply blessed in this province. Through such initiatives as the Commission on Resources and
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Environment and the protected areas strategy, we are trying to sort out in a more fair and balanced manner who gets to use what and for whose benefit. These are not perfect processes -- not by a long shot -- but they are infinitely better than the chaotic situation that existed in this province through the 1980s. I believe that the debate on B.C.'s first forest practices code, foreshadowed in the throne speech to take place in this current session, will be an extremely important debate for forest communities, the environment and the future of British Columbia.
Ultimately, it is said, we are what we eat. If what we eat is grown and processed by people outside British Columbia, then a key aspect of this province's autonomy and future is at risk. In recognition of that reality, I share the distress of other members of this House that the word "agriculture" did not appear in the Speech from the Throne.
While I commend the government for the steps it has taken to restore the independence of the Agricultural Land Commission, I want to point out that we need to do more than draw a line around our valuable farmlands if we are to secure a healthy future for farmers and farming in British Columbia. Despite what some people may say, land that can grow food is in very short supply in B.C.; but it is highly diverse and presents infinite opportunities not available in other provinces. Our farmers need to be assured not only that their land is safe from speculators, but also that, along with forestry, mining and tourism, agriculture -- as well as all the infrastructure associated with food processing and production -- is valued as a growth industry in this province. I know that the Minister of Agriculture is well aware of what the farmers of British Columbia need in the 1990s, and I want him to know that here is a member from a highly urbanized riding who will always be happy to support him in urging our government to act more decisively to build a healthy agricultural industry. Those who farm the land are the people upon whom we and all future generations of British Columbia literally depend for our daily bread.
As I said in my opening remarks, it is a time of incredible change in our society. We must all make some adjustments in our expectations of what our environment and economy can provide. As we move towards the twenty-first century, the questions we face will challenge every one of us to think long and hard about matters of principle and practicality. I don't believe anyone can reasonably disagree with the broad vision expressed in the throne speech, but I'm sure there will be plenty of room for debate when it comes to fleshing out that vision through legislation and setting out processes intended to make it a reality. I look forward to that debate and I believe there will be valuable contributions made by members of all philosophical persuasions. Having enjoyed a unique position in this chamber for two and a half years, I have come to appreciate that no party or individual member has a monopoly on wisdom. With varying degrees of hope and skepticism, the people of British Columbia are looking to us collectively for leadership. We are all here because we believe in the public good and because we want to do our part to secure it. Finding that good and delivering it to the people will challenge us to find compromises, accommodations and trade-offs; that is the only way we will be able to do what we came here to do. Certainly there is little to be gained from mindless confrontation. It has not worked in places like Clayoquot and it will not work here. When reasonable women and men meet to seek common ground, they will always find it. I believe that is what my constituents have sent me here to do, and I will try to do it to the best of my ability.
The Speaker: The member rises again on...?
J. Sawicki: This is indeed timely -- you notice I did not try to do this during my speech, but I would ask leave to make an introduction.
Leave granted.
J. Sawicki: In the galleries is a group of people from the BCIT journalism school -- a class that I have spoken to each year -- with their professor, Mr. George Orr. I would ask the House to make them welcome.
The Speaker: With the House's indulgence, the Speaker would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the former Speaker on her first speech in the Legislature.
Hon. D. Marzari: Hon. Speaker, I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate you for the first time on your new position as Speaker. I also want to express my honour and privilege to have been put in a position of following the inaugural address of the former Speaker, the member for Burnaby-Willingdon, in her speech about her community and about the principles and practicalities that underline the throne speech and the budget speech.
To me the throne speech, followed by the budget speech, is the basic infrastructure of what government is about. It's the basic expounding of the values and then the follow-through with ideas and practicalities about how we take taxpayers' dollars and turn them into programs and infrastructure that actually support communities where they are. When I say "real people" and "real communities," I mean people throughout this province who live in municipalities, in regional districts, in villages, on the coast, in the interior and in the Kootenays -- not just in Point Grey. I'm talking about the elderly and the young, and the men and women who are working hard to build a good life for their families.
It's important to say at this point that to anyone who actually listened to the clear, forward-looking vision presented in the throne speech and backed up in the budget speech, there can be no doubt that our government is accomplishing what we said we would and that we are doing what the people of British Columbia want us to do.
For these people, the majority of people in British Columbia, there are no surprises in the government's agenda as expressed in the throne speech. The government's agenda is the agenda of the people. We have listened to the people of B.C., and we are now acting on their concerns, whether those concerns have been expressed through the crowded classrooms or through a health system which has resisted reform -- and coming inside budgetary requirements -- whether those values and concerns are reflected around skills and training development for our young people; or whether those values and concerns have been expressed through the desperate need to find a balance in our forests and a balance between highly polarized groups fighting for their communities and their lives and those groups that are fighting for a longer-range vision of environmental sustainability. It is this government's job to resolve these concerns, to bring action to these concerns, to provide a stable structure and program for these concerns, and to find actualization and a way that they can be remedied in our communities.
The commitment to stability, therefore, is the keystone to the philosophies outlined in the throne speech and expressed in the plan of action that the budget speech represented. We are committed to individual British Columbians. From the
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point of view of being Minister of Municipal Affairs, we are committed to the communities in which they live.
Our commitment in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs is very evident in everything we do on a day-to-day basis. In this ministry the mandate is community, and we believe that British Columbians, through their locally elected officials, have the right to design their communities and shape their futures. We're committed to supporting local initiatives that will help the people of British Columbia create and maintain communities that are vigorous, safe, well-planned, democratically governed, environmentally sustainable, economically self-sufficient and adequately resourced.
As the member for Burnaby-Willingdon pointed out, these are the values that provide the basis for life in our communities. Prosperous and livable communities don't just simply happen. They are the result of commitment and hard work by individuals in those communities and their elected representatives. It takes local vision and solid leadership to bring about sustainable communities. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs supports community leaders by supporting local government. We believe that local government is and should remain the cornerstone of our provincial democracy and Canadian democracy.
These are the messages that are carried out and carried through in the throne and budget speeches. While cutting the provincial deficit in the 1994-95 budget, the government will continue to provide essential services by preserving grant levels to municipal governments. Levels for municipal, general, basic and regional district grants were foreshadowed in the throne speech and maintained in the budget at $136 million this fiscal year.
The Premier promised a three-year tax freeze. By keeping municipal grants on an even keel, our government is helping local governments hold the line on property taxes. We're also shielding communities from the full effects of federal government off-loading. The previous federal government attempted to deal with its deficits by shoving its financial responsibilities for cost-shared programs such as health care, post-secondary education and income support down to the provincial level. We've witnessed the erosion of the equalization payment financing act, and since 1987 we've witnessed the decimation of the Canada Assistance Plan. The result has been a steady decline in the federal share of funding for essential services in our province. That is why stability becomes a key word and a key pillar in our budget, our throne speech and our value system. B.C. taxpayers have had to pay more and more each year just to keep essential programs from deteriorating. Therefore, holding the line for local municipal governments, and assisting them in holding the line, becomes a major task for this government, and especially for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
[11:00]
Equally important as holding the line is sharing new visions about our communities in a time of rapid change. The former speaker spoke about the drains on our air, water, forest and land resources due to rapid urban growth, from agriculture through to forest lands. These are concerns that we must address, and that the throne speech begins to address.
At the "macro" level of planning -- a word which has not been used by previous governments in British Columbia -- our government is very involved with the Georgia basin initiative. It is very involved with the Fraser River management initiative. We will continue with our efforts to bring planning resources to those initiatives, which are looking at the dangers of not adequately planning for the resources required to mitigate the impact of the massive growth and changes of the late twentieth century.
At the "micro" level of planning, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs is engaged in delivering planning grants to regional districts and municipalities on a daily basis, ensuring that they can look forward to developing their official community plans and making land use decisions that are consistent with the values of the citizens of their urban communities. These values may differ among communities. Some of the bylaws and land use plans may look very different between the lower mainland and Atlin or between the Kootenays and the south Island. But it is very important that our provincial government oversee and assist with developing plans with communities, so that they can properly and adequately look to their future and their growth by consolidating their past heritage and culture and where they are at at the moment.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs also provides innumerable services, ranging from government restructuring programs and municipal engineering advice to municipal administrative and planning services. We also engage in municipal financial services and in municipal investigations. We do policy and research, as municipalities need these kinds of services. We are also involved in building standards, in looking at how things work and setting standards for construction, and in inspecting those constructions to ensure that communities are well served. These are not high-profile activities or services. The fact that they're not given a great deal of recognition is testimony to the fact that they're doing their jobs very well.
[D. Lovick in the chair.]
The ministry has programs such as the library services branch that offer visible benefits to the community. Libraries in our communities are a piece of the heritage of our province and help British Columbians compete in an age of information and global markets. One of the basic planning programs, or one of the programs that communities know the most about throughout this province, is the downtown revitalization program. It combines provincial taxpayers' dollars with local initiative dollars, resulting in upgraded downtown areas that draw tourists and locals downtown where they can support local businesses. Communities also benefit through job creation and additional private investment in successful downtown areas.
At the macro level, it's obvious that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs is engaged in active planning. But what's missing -- and what the throne speech alludes to and the budget speech begins to support -- is a level of planning and looking at our communities at the provincial level which has not really been done for the last ten years. We have yet to really address the issue of urban growth in our province. The Greater Vancouver Regional District is growing at the rate of 113 people per day on average. With a projected population of three million people -- and over two million cars -- within the next 30 years, the GVRD is in danger of losing the very qualities that make it a magnet for growth. The same holds true for communities on southern Vancouver Island and along the east coast of the Island. The Capital Regional District alone accounted for close to 10 percent of all the population growth in the province in the last decade. The Regional District of Nanaimo has grown 23 percent over the last five years, particularly in the Parksville and Qualicum areas. The pressures are enormous. They relate to land use, zoning and development. The infrastructure simply isn't there for them at the present time. In the Okanagan, the third-largest growth area in our province right now, the population increased between 1976 and 1992 by 47 percent to
[ Page 9795 ]
250,000 people -- a quarter of a million people living in a community that was once almost strictly agricultural; and the population of the Okanagan is expected to double by the year 2021. It is quite a sight to drive up the shores of the lake now and see what were once tree fruit orchards being turned into subdivisions, basically inhabited by what we would call in the city "monster" houses. We need to seriously address issues of agriculture and sustainability in this area, because rapid growth puts great stress on our land, air and water resources and brings enormous public costs for supporting infrastructure such as highways, transit, schools, hospitals, water, sewers and so on.
The very affordability and livability of our communities is being threatened here. To address these problems, we need to reinvent regional government; we need to reinvent a level of regional planning which will bring some stability and security to these communities so that they do not mesh, meld down the east coast of Vancouver Island or lose their integrity throughout the GVRD, and so that the Okanagan does not become a strip city. This is the challenge for this government. In the throne speech and the budget speech we are beginning to make some strides towards looking at a new way of planning, bringing in new methods of consultation and providing new toolkits for regions and municipalities to actualize their dreams and visions. The plans must connect with each other and between us, the regions and the municipalities, so that the communities themselves do not connect in a continuous urban sprawl.
These are some of the activities and pieces of infrastructure that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs is involved with. It's with some pleasure that this ministry is directly involved with the federal-provincial master agreement, which is bringing provincial, municipal and federal dollars for upgrading and extending sewer and water systems throughout our province. It is the basic infrastructure agreement that was desperately required 15 years ago, and now we as a province are able to do some catch-up and planning, using sewer and water dollars in full partnership with and with full involvement from municipalities, who must be given a great deal of credit for the actual shape of this provincial-federal agreement.
It's with a great deal of delight that I take my place in this debate today, because I believe that it's important for the municipalities in this province to know that government is listening, is prepared to do its part and intends to maintain the stability of our communities from an economic, cultural and infrastructure point of view. The throne speech, supported by the budget speech, is a blueprint for our activity in this fiscal year. Both speeches are statements of those plans and of those promises to consult and work cooperatively with communities throughout this province and to help define how we grow, how we direct that growth and how we make sure that the growth is compatible with our visions for economic and social health in British Columbia.
R. Kasper: It gives me great pleasure to speak on the throne speech. As the hon. Minister of Municipal Affairs commented, it is a blueprint for how the government's policies and initiatives will be implemented to better serve the people of British Columbia.
The throne speech outlined a number of issues, such as fiscal management, fair taxation, long-term job creation, economic growth, skills training for the twenty-first century and the revitalization of our forest sector. As a government member on this side of the House, I'm proud to say that the budget debate and the budget introduced by the Minister of Finance clearly demonstrate the government's commitment to deal with issues raised in the throne speech, by ensuring that taxes will be frozen for the next three years and that government spending will be reduced and cut. We are taking measures to eliminate waste. Also, the introduction of a debt management plan and the introduction of bills to implement the budget show that this government is committed to enacting all aspects of the throne speech.
In the area of job creation, the government has made a commitment to construct the badly-needed Island Highway. This will assure residents on Vancouver Island that we will have a safe highway for the future, to take us into the twenty-first century. It is something that previous governments have ignored, and in many respects, they made false promises and commitments to the residents of Vancouver Island.
This isn't a new issue. From 1981 to 1990, I served on a local government which was a member of the Association of Vancouver Island Municipalities. That organization commissioned a study in 1985 which clearly demonstrated that major improvements on the Island Highway were long overdue and that the per capita spending on Vancouver Island was much lower than in other regions of the province. In some instances the per capita amount that we were receiving for highway improvements was approximately one-quarter of that received on the lower mainland, and it was as low as one-tenth of the amount received in some other regions in the province. Due to the hard work and diligence of local mayors, councillors and regional district representatives, the views of the residents of Vancouver Island have been recognized by this government. Last year the government took action and established B.C. 21, and subsequently the Transportation Financing Authority, to ensure that this project will be built within a firm time frame and on budget.
[11:15]
The Minister of Employment and Investment, who is also responsible for B.C. 21 and the Transportation Financing Authority, recently unveiled a major agreement between building trades and the construction industry to ensure that there will be no strikes, lockouts or walkouts; that wages are dealt with; that there are provisions for local hire and job training; and that we will have twice the normal capacity for apprentices, to ensure that our young people are trained and are able to learn skills while this project is being constructed so that in the future they can earn the dollars needed for housing and all the other good things for their family. That will also give these young people an opportunity to potentially become entrepreneurs so that they can participate even more in the marketplace and create jobs themselves.
I'm also pleased to note that with B.C. 21 there's a firm recognition of the regional interests throughout British Columbia. There's an assurance by government, through the throne speech, that dollars that are earmarked through B.C. 21 will in fact be spent in areas that will encourage economic growth on a regional and local basis, and that problems that communities have traditionally suffered due to centralized government and problems that the downtown-Vancouver or downtown-Victoria syndrome has created for other regions of the province will no longer occur.
I'm pleased to note that in the throne speech there's a very firm commitment to the small business community. This was also demonstrated by the budget speech in the introduction of this year's budget. We've demonstrated that the throne speech is a meaningful document and a blueprint that will in fact be enacted. If certain small businesses are remiss in the collection and turning over of taxes collected on behalf of the
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provincial government, they've been given a three-month grace period with no penalties whatsoever. This is to ensure that they are good corporate citizens. We've also ensured that there will be a reduction in the overall red tape and bureaucracy that small businesses encounter. The reporting period and the time in which these taxes -- such as the provincial sales tax -- are to be remitted are reduced. The amount of money that small businesses receive as a benefit to help them pay for the cost of collecting these taxes on behalf of the provincial government has been increased. I think that's a good move for the business community. It recognizes the fact that small business in this province is a major player in our economy.
I'd also like to note in relation to skills training for our young people that the government has made a commitment through the throne speech to establish community-based training to help bridge the gap between social assistance and employment. I'm not talking about make-work projects; I'm talking about employment opportunities that are meaningful to the community and are of long-term benefit to the recipients so that they can apply the skills they've learned to their future life and can be major contributors to our economy and to our society as a whole -- something that previous governments have overlooked. We've seen many programs implemented by previous provincial and federal governments which were nothing more than short-term, make-work projects that take people off social assistance and get them enough work to qualify for unemployment insurance. It's a vicious circle. We've seen those projects and that approach fail dismally. I'm pleased that our government will be taking measures and making future announcements through the Ministry of Skills, Training and Labour that will ensure that not only young people but people who have been affected by downturns in certain economic activities throughout the province have the opportunity to get back to meaningful employment for the short term and the long term.
I would also like to note that the throne speech has recognized the importance of our post-secondary learning institutions. Granting degrees and diplomas in a broader scale will assist those colleges and get them greater recognition of the contribution they make to our province in educating our youth and others who seek additional post-secondary education. Gone are the days when those who seek post-secondary education and get degrees have to go to the more traditional learning institutions such as UBC, UVic or the new university of the north. There is an opportunity for people in more remote communities who are unable to find spaces in those larger institutions to get accreditation and fully recognized degrees in order to follow their pursuits closer to home at less expense.
We have also increased the funding for K-to-12 education. Through the Minister of Education this province has ensured that our education facilities and our boards will receive the highest increase for K-to-12 education of any province in the country. That's important, because we have to ensure that our youth receive the best education possible.
Not only has the global funding increased, but special funding has been allocated for community schools in British Columbia. Approximately $75,000 has been earmarked for those school districts that have fully recognized, bona fide community schools. This had never taken place in the past, and this will ensure that alternative forms of education to service people within districts can take place. This will also free up moneys that were allocated by those school boards because they were paying the share for these facilities and had to take it out of their block funding. Now it frees up the boards to make financial decisions at the local level, knowing full well that there is a firm commitment for the $75,000 for community schools.
Also, I should note that an important element of the economy within the Malahat-Juan de Fuca riding is the forestry sector. It has been quite controversial in the past few months in regard to the CORE report. I'm pleased to say that both in the throne speech and in the commitment by the Premier and our party we have made the firm commitment that there will be no decision on the Vancouver Island CORE report until the issues of economic and social impacts have been addressed. We want to ensure that there are employment opportunities within the communities that are affected by the CORE report and ensure that those people who traditionally work in the forest industry -- both in the service side and directly in the forest industry -- have employment within the forest industry in the communities where they reside and have resided for a number of years. I'm confident that with future announcements this will become more and more a reality, with the interest and the discussion by representatives from labour, the forest industry and government to ensure that that is in fact a reality. This will assure the people of British Columbia that we have long-term forest management that is economically viable and socially viable for the communities on Vancouver Island.
I'd also like to point out that with the government's commitment to introduce the province's first forest practices code, this will ensure that the activity in the forest industry is done in an economically and environmentally sound fashion. This will ensure that forest regeneration, thinning and silviculture are done in a timely fashion and in such a way that we ensure that people who are traditionally employed in the forest industry will remain within those communities so they can carry on their pursuits as they have in the past.
I'd also like to point out that this government has taken into account one of the most significant and contentious issues that has occurred within the riding I represent. That deals with development pressures in the Highlands area of the Saanich Inlet. I'm pleased with the government's recent announcement by the Minister of Environment, Lands and Parks on the acquisition of the Gowlland Range-Mount Finlayson-Tod Inlet lands through the Commonwealth Nature Legacy. This is probably the most significant private land purchase for park purposes in British Columbia's history. The area of land is approximately three times that of Stanley Park.
I know, from my experience representing the Highlands area for nine years as a regional director, that it was an important issue for my constituents. Over the years 1981 to 1990, as the elected representative for that area I found many false starts and hopes in the community that a park would be established within that area to protect the very sensitive, beautiful features of a land base that is probably one of the most significant areas in greater Victoria. In many instances, through both land use planning and development proposals, it was always the intent for such a park to be created. What was missing in the equation was a commitment and a partnership by the private sector and the local and provincial governments. I'm proud to say our government has recognized that this was such an important issue. My colleagues in the southern Vancouver Island area, the member for Victoria-Beacon Hill and other members, have worked diligently on making this park acquisition a reality.
I'd like to read out some facts and figures in relation to this park. The agreements for the land purchase include:
[ Page 9797 ]
1,737 acres of the Gowlland Range on the southeast shores of Saanich Inlet; 151 acres on Mount Finlayson, adjacent to Goldstream Park; and 608 acres around Tod Inlet, formerly known as the Fama Estates lands. Eventually this will sweep through and allow a continuous corridor from Goldstream Park through the Highlands to Brentwood in Central Saanich.
[11:30]
This acquisition would not have been a reality if we did not have the hard work, dedication and financial commitment from the Nature Conservancy of Canada, which contributed some $2 million toward the park purchase. This contribution through the Nature Conservancy of Canada is highlighted by a major corporate donation from Westcoast Energy. I would like to thank Westcoast Energy for their participation in this acquisition.
The approximately $8.5 million Gowlland purchase from First National Properties Ltd. of Vancouver was also a major aspect of this proposal. The First National properties have always been earmarked for some form of development, ranging as high as 560 lots within their development area. Over the years, the change of views of the people in the Highlands area had been recognized, and that development was reduced, but it was still earmarked for a considerable amount of development.
One of the other major purchases was Mount Finlayson. Many people have assumed that Mount Finlayson, adjacent to Goldstream Provincial Park, was part of Goldstream Park. In fact, it was privately owned. The total area of that park is approximately 70 acres, and it cost approximately $700,000 to acquire those two pieces of property. People will now be free to hike through Mount Finlayson when visiting Goldstream Provincial Park. I have hiked it during my time, and it's a heck of an adventure. The views in that park are incredible.
I would be remiss if I didn't recognize people like Bob and Nancy McMinn, who have diligently fought for the establishment of such a class A provincial park. Bob McMinn, now mayor of the Highlands, is a longstanding resident of the Highlands community. I had the pleasure to meet and work with Bob some 15 years ago, and he presented a dream of such a park while I was the regional director for the area. I am proud to say that much of Nancy and Bob's dream was brought forward to this Legislature and the government representatives to see if we could find a way to make that dream a reality. Many people in the Highlands community have fought the good fight to ensure that these lands are protected, will be held in perpetuity in a natural state and will be used for the benefit of all the people of the province.
With this park acquisition, the people of British Columbia can be proud of the fact -- with the coming Commonwealth Games and the visit by Her Majesty -- that we can demonstrate that the greater Victoria area is a showplace for Canada and a front door for British Columbia. The some 400 million television viewers during the Commonwealth Games and people who visit here will be able to see what a special place this region is. Not only will they get to see what we're all about, but we're hopeful that it will also encourage people to come visit us here and throughout British Columbia and improve our economy through tourism. We're also hopeful that this will present a very strong message to communities throughout the world that we in British Columbia do protect the environment and care about our forests.
We want to make sure the message gets to people throughout the world that this government is taking steps to address some of the wrongs that have occurred in the past and to ensure that from an economic development standpoint we have a strong place in the world community. We also want to demonstrate that we have a strong place within the world's environmental community. This type of action by government can clearly demonstrate that the taxpayers and the government of British Columbia care about the environment and that we're taking steps to do that.
I would also like to point out that I've been working with residents, community groups and the business community from the Sooke area to ensure that other regions of our coast are protected. Last year we had an announcement by the previous Minister of Environment, Lands and Parks that we had acquired the Parkinson Creek area. It's a seal grotto on the southern coast between Sooke and Port Renfrew. It's a special area where people can go and view, by way of a blind that was established by volunteers, the seals and young pups that are reared in a very special part of our coast. This proposal was brought forward by the students and the business community of the Sooke region. The Edward Milne Community School was very instrumental in bringing forward to the Minister of Environment the message that this is an area that should be protected.
It should also be noted that other areas have been brought forward for protection. I'm hopeful that the government will seek the opportunity to ensure that these special places are protected.
In closing, I would like to say I'm confident that with the commitment the government has made through the throne speech we will make this province a better place for all British Columbians. We will continue to work with the business community and for people throughout our society; we will make sure that our youth are educated to the fullest extent; we will ensure that displaced workers in any field have an opportunity to improve their skills so that they can become major contributors to our economy. I'm confident that through the direction and the intent laid out in the throne speech we can make British Columbia a better place.
M. de Jong: I understand that we are in day six of the debate in response to the throne speech. I recall the comments of my law partner, Mr. Phipps, who was present when the throne speech was delivered. On that memorable day, he asked me: "How will you spend six days debating a document so bereft of substance and specifics?" I couldn't answer him then, and I'm not sure I'm in any better position to answer him today.
The throne speech reminds me of a bone you throw to a dog. There's no meat on this bone. Although members of the government have batted it about and played with it within the kennel that is their caucus, no amount of rhetoric can hide the fact that this is a hollow throne speech -- matched only by the hollowness of the government itself.
It's particularly disturbing that we should receive a document that is so bereft of new ideas and direction. At a time when British Columbians are crying out for leadership, they are left leaderless. They are crying out for direction, and they are left directionless. They are crying out for vision, and they are left visionless. This government's complete abdication of its responsibility for providing leadership and direction to British Columbians denigrates the legacy of our forefathers.
I was reminded of that last evening, when I attended the fiftieth annual general meeting of the Matsqui Credit Union, which was formed 50 years ago from what was originally the Ridgedale Credit Union. There, still sitting in the room, were some of the founding forefathers of that institution, formed in farmhouses on Matsqui Prairie. They had a vision. They
[ Page 9798 ]
knew that if they worked hard and with a sense of direction, something meaningful would grow from their idea. Something did, and a significant financial institution that lends assistance to many of my constituents now stands on that location. That sort of vision and willingness to demonstrate leadership and commitment is what built communities across this province. That is the case in Matsqui, and those were my thoughts as I looked around the room at some of my community's founding pioneers. In the room were names like Adams, Beharrell, Rottluff and Lancaster, and in the twilight of their years, they, like all other British Columbians, expect a similar level of commitment and leadership from the government. They are saddened and disappointed with what was delivered in the Speech from the Throne.
That pioneer spirit manifests itself in my community in other ways. All members, I'm sure, are familiar with the Abbotsford Air Show, an event that now attracts well in excess of a quarter of a million people per year. It was only a few short years ago, in the 1960s, that it started as a small flying club event sponsored by a local Rotary Club. And now it's grown to worldwide proportions -- again through the commitment and leadership of local people. Those people expect a similar sense of direction to be set out by this government, and again they are sadly disappointed.
There is an agricultural legacy in my riding. It started with the pioneers who came late in the last century and cleared the shrubs and timber and diked the Fraser River. It extended into the pre- and post-war years, when the Dutch community moved in and the dairy industry expanded. More recently, an influx of immigrants from India -- Indo-Canadians -- has led to an increase in the production of berries in the horticultural business. I feel great pride, as one member reminds me of my own personal involvement in some of that agricultural development.
[11:45]
But the fact of the matter is that today agriculture is under siege for many reasons, not all of which fall within the exclusive jurisdiction of this House -- or indeed our country. Agriculture is under pressure from forces outside our country as well. Farmers and the agricultural sector are under siege. And what do we hear in the Speech from the Throne? What is there to give those people -- the foundation of my community and many communities across this province -- a sense of hope and vision? There's nothing; it wasn't mentioned once. They're being left to their own devices. And the government says: "We are showing the way." Well, it's a dead-end street for the farmers in my community, and it's shameful. When they ask me what this government is doing or going to do for them, I'm at a loss to explain. I look to the blueprint that this government waves and holds up, and it says: "This is where we're taking the province." And it has not a word about agriculture. It's consistent...
Interjection.
M. de Jong: I hear the comment from the hon. member.
...with the approach taken by this government throughout: abdicate responsibility. Well, what are they doing over there? Nothing.
Much has been said about education and the legitimate expectations and needs of students and children across the province. Again, when one thinks of education, one can't help but cast a glance back to the pioneers of the province who built the original schools and put the teachers in them and helped ensure that a first generation of British Columbians received an education. I take some pride in the fact that I attended one of the last one-room schools in British Columbia. It's still there; it's still operating.
Interjection.
M. de Jong: With no shoes on.
The fact remains that we owe much to the vision of those pioneers in the realm of education.
I'm a school trustee, and I occasionally hear....
An Hon. Member: Double-dipping.
M. de Jong: Again, I hear the charge of double-dipping. That's ill-thought-out and ill-conceived criticism. If the member properly researched his comments, he'd know that the offer to resign was made, but it was an economic choice. The cost to run a by-election prior to the amalgamation vote that will take place in Matsqui in November would be $25,000. Now the members say: "We'll spend that money." It's entirely consistent with the workings of their government to throw another $25,000 at a problem. "Hey, it's not our money," they say. "We'll just waste that money."
The people in Matsqui don't want to waste that money, because, unlike members opposite, they know it is their money; it's coming out of their pockets. They don't want to see it wasted, as the hon. member clearly does. The next election will see members opposite washed away. I would suggest it's time to clean out the barn right now, but we'll wait until the next election.
Deputy Speaker: Hon. member, I would ask not so much you but your colleagues in the House to please allow the member to carry on with his remarks. We're moving now into the area of the labours of Hercules in cleaning out the stables. I think we're pushing the limits of reasoned debate, and I'd ask the member to please continue and other members to please allow him to be heard. Proceed, hon. member.
M. de Jong: The issue of education extends far beyond simple funding matters -- although I hesitate to call them simple funding matters. The government has indicated by its actions in the past and by the suggestions about where it's going in the future that the autonomy of local school boards is going to be seriously under assault. That is not a satisfactory state of affairs. The ability for local school boards to raise revenue has been all but removed. There is a referendum option that is really unworkable, so the ability to raise revenue locally is all but gone.
The government is now indicating that, increasingly, the only funds available to local school boards will be provided with conditions attached -- with suggestions that X percent must be spent here, and X percent must be spent there. When local school boards suggest that this is an assault on their autonomy and that the expectations being placed on them by the provincial government are unrealistic, what response do they get? "Look, don't worry about it. You can manage this by employing some fairly creative accounting techniques." That again is entirely consistent with the approach this government has taken on a very global basis.
An Hon. Member: It's very imaginative.
M. de Jong: It's very imaginative, very tricky and very cute, but it doesn't hide the fact that in the case of education this government is saying to local boards: "Look, we know better than you. Let us handle it. You just do what we tell you
[ Page 9799 ]
to do." That's not appropriate. And if that is the direction this government is truly intending to take education in this province, it can rest assured that members on this side of the House will voice their opposition consistently, loudly and effectively.
There has been an indication that the province will move toward provincewide bargaining. In many quarters, including the School Trustees' Association, that is being welcomed. But I think that why that support exists and why the government is moving in that direction after much lobbying on the part of school boards across the province bears considering. Why is it necessary? Well, it's necessary because of the mixed signals this government has been sending to local school boards for two years. These mixed signals involve authorizing, approving and dictating high settlement terms with the employees of school districts, and low funding.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist -- indeed, that probably applies to many members opposite, so I won't hesitate to explain it to them again -- to figure out that if your funding increase to school boards is 4 percent and you're dictating settlements in the range of 9 percent, 10 percent and 11 percent, something is going to happen. The rubber is going to hit the road sooner rather than later, and that's certainly what has happened. School boards have been placed in an untenable situation where they've got no choice. The government is authorizing settlements way off the scale of what they're funding school boards. The provincial government now represents, in effect, the sole source of funding for those school boards.
I'm sorry the former minister isn't in the House, and I'm certainly sorry the present minister isn't in the House. In fact, I heard the reports this morning, and there's some doubt about where the present minister is any time important issues are being considered.
We're getting mixed signals in the education field from the government on other matters, such as length of the school year. On the one hand, the ministry and the government are saying to local school boards that we have got to bring our days of education in line with what is happening elsewhere in the country. On the other hand, they are authorizing, encouraging and dictating settlements with employees which have the opposite result. Where is the consistency? Where is the leadership? Where is the vision? It's a complete and utter abdication of responsibility by the members on the government side.
I come from a fast-growing community. The acquisition of sites for public facilities such as schools is an ongoing dilemma. Yes, it relates to money -- that's part of it. The cost of this land is going up, and it's difficult to acquire these sites at the best of times. But there are other matters not specifically related to that. Difficulties emanating directly from the government could be easily remedied at minimal cost, but they have ignored them. There is no indication in the throne speech that the government intends to remedy those things. There is a dichotomy and inconsistency between ministries.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs alerts the various municipalities around the province that they must collect off-site development costs from school boards, and the Education ministry says: "We're not going to fund you for that." As a result of this government's activities, local officials now are at each other's throats, through no fault of their own. One agency says, "You've got to pay," and another agency says:
"Well, we'd like to pay, but our ministry won't fund us for these particular costs."
Those matters have been brought to the government's attention time and time again. We're dealing with millions of dollars and hundreds of hours in lost time. The government refuses to address it, and there is no indication in the throne speech that those issues will be addressed. The time has come for the government to take these issues very seriously, because they affect untold numbers of people and communities in British Columbia.
I note the hour, Mr. Speaker, and I wonder if I might move adjournment of the debate on the throne speech.
Motion approved.
Hon. D. Marzari moved adjournment of the House.
Motion approved.
The House adjourned at 11:58 a.m.
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